This page is about my opinions on the Vampire Chronicles. This is for all of you out there who haven’t really understood the Chronicles, didn’t read all or are just interesting in hearing someone else’s opinions. Also this page contains spoilers for all the books up to Blood and Gold. You have been warned although I’ve tried to keep them at a minimum. Also the rating scale is 1-AWFULLY AWFUL to 10-Absolutely wonderful. Excellent. A must-have!
Title: Interview With the Vampire
Author: Louis de Pointe du Lac
Main Characters: Louis de Pointe du Lac, Lestat de Lioncourt (yay!), Claudia, Daniel Malloy (well, he is the one listening.)
Other Characters: Armand, Madeline, the members of the Théatre des Vampires, Babette, Morgan.
Settings: New Orleans, San Francisco, Paris, Transylvania, several other unnamed places (not in that order)
Published: 1976
Summary: Louisiana, 1791. After the tragic death of his brother, plantation owner Louis de Pointe du Lac spirals into absolute desperation. He meets the mysterious Vampire Lestat who offers him the Dark Gift and Louis accepts. Louis now sees in the world in a different light. He loathes the presence of Lestat. Louis meets a mortal woman called Babette. Lestat makes the vampire child Claudia, as a trick to get Louis to stay. Louis and Claudia set out in search of answers as to their origin, encountering first many rogues and then the mysterious vampire Armand and the Théatre des Vampires. Louis also makes the woman Madeline into a “mother” for Claudia. Louis burns down the Theatre des Vampires and sets off with Armand. Present day San Francisco: Louis’ story is over but Daniel is not satisfied. Interview with The Vampire ends with him wanting the Dark Gift and he sets out in search of Lestat.
Best Part: MOST DEFINITELY LOUIS! This was the first book I’d ever read in the Chronicles and I fell in love with Louis from the beginning. Of course, the other best part is Lestat. I love love love love love him.
Worst Part: There is none, actually. This book is practically perfect.
Rating: (on a scale of 1-10) 10!!!!!!!!! Louis is beautiful in his melancholy ways. You can’t help but love him and want to make him happy. Lestat is absolutely marvelous as the devilish vampire who in your heart, you just know that that’s not what he’s really like (well, for me it was like that.) The mysterious Armand, whom nothing is known about except that he is the eldest, so far, and that somehow he and Lestat are connected. The beautiful child vampire, Claudia: an ever-growing woman stuck in the body of a five-year-old. Her story is sad but nevertheless she should not have attempted to murder Lestat. (HAHAHA! NO ONE CAN DEFEAT THE VAMPIRE LESTAT! Have you people not figured that out yet?! Mwahaha!)
Title: The Vampire Lestat
Author: Lestat de Lioncourt
Main Characters: Lestat de Lioncourt, Nicolas de Lenfent, Gabrielle de Lioncourt, Armand
Other Characters: Magnus, Marius, Akasha, Enkil, Louis, Satan’s Night Out, the coven of Les Innocents.
Settings: France, San Francisco, Marius’ Island, countless other places
Published: 1985 (However, it was written in 1984)
Summary: The Vampire Lestat reawakens in New Orleans in 1984. He falls in love with life again and joins the rock group Satan’s Night Out. He gets a copy of Interview With The Vampire. He decides to write his own autobiography as an answer for all the things that he could not tell Louis before. France, 1870: Lestat, the youngest son of the Marquis runs off to Paris with his new friend, Nicki after Lestat goes to a wolf hunt and slaughters all the wolves. Lestat begins acting in a theatre. The vampire Magnus captures him and turns him into a vampire. Lestat then turns his dying mother, Gabrielle into a vampire and then Nicki. Along the way, he encounters the coven of Les Innocents and the mysterious vampire leader Armand. Nicki goes into the fire, Gabrielle leaves him and Lestat goes down into the earth for the first time. Marius rescues him and tells him his story. He reveals Those Who Must Be Kept. Lestat awakens them briefly.
Present day San Francisco: His autobiography is over and Lestat has his grand rock concert, is reunited with Louis and Akasha is awakened once again. (By, guess who.)
Best Part: Lestat! Now we see him in a different light and he’s as wonderful as ever. We also get a more in-depth look into the world of the vampires and we also get to see a little of the ancient of them all. Also, we see lots more of what Armand is really like (that sweet little imp ;) and who can resist poor Nicki?
Worst Part: Well…Gabrielle. She is a bit cold and a bit mean. But I’m warming up to Gabby :)
Rating: 10!!!!
Title: The Queen of the Damned
Author: Lestat de Lioncourt
Characters: (This book is told from the point of view of many different characters) Lestat, Akasha, Louis, David, Daniel, Armand, Marius, Santino, Pandora, Maharet, Mekare, Mael, Jesse, Enkil, Baby Jenks, The Fang Gang, Khayman, Eric, the ghost of Claudia, Azim
Settings: Miami, San Francisco and many others
Published: 1988
Summary: The Vampire Queen, Akasha has reawakened and has taken Lestat to be her prince. She shares him with her plan for the world, which is extremely evil. (NO MEN NO MEN NO MEN! AHHHH!!!) She destroys all the younger vampires except for a select few. These select few gather, at the dwelling of Maharet another ancient vampire to plan how to stop Akasha’s evil rampage. The origin of the vampire is told. The story of the Twins is explained. A better look at Lestat’s concert from another’s point of view. Armand is still alive and is with Daniel, the reporter first seen in Interview with the Vampire. Pandora appears with another vampire Santino. Jesse encounters Claudia’s ghost. The vampires (with several brand new additions) meet with Akasha and try to reason with her. In the end she is destroyed and there is a new Queen of The Damned.
Best Part: So many things. We see the vampires wonderful history. We meet lots of new and interesting characters. EVERYTHING IN THIS BOOK.
Worst Part: Okay, okay. Akasha. I STILL think she’s evil.
Rating: 10!!!
Title: The Tale of the Body Thief
Author: Lestat de Lioncourt
Main Characters: Lestat de Lioncourt, *SIGH* David Talbot, Louis
Other Characters: Raglan James, Gretchen, Claudia’s ghost, some mortals, Mojo (Lestat’s doggie :)
Settings: The Gobi Desert, New York, New Orleans,
Published: 1992
Summary: The Vampire Lestat is in a miserable state of mind. He is recounting the tragic deaths of Claudia and Nicki. He attempts suicide in the Gobi Desert. He fails, as he is far too powerful to die. He regains some interest in life and discovers a mysterious, strange mortal stalking him. This mortal, Raglan James offers to exchange bodies with Lestat for a short period of time. Lestat cannot refuse and agrees to the switch. He gets pneumonia in his new body and has lots of feverish dreams in which he gets visits from Claudia. He then seems to see her everywhere he goes. He falls in love with Gretchen the nun, who wants to know carnal pleasure. He quickly finds out that he has been deceived by Raglan James who has run off with Lestat’s powerful body. He goes to get help from Louis, is denied, burns down poor Louis’ house in a rage, nearly gets bonked on the head with a piece of wood from Louis’ shack by Marius (OKAY OKAY so that DID NOT HAPPEN but he did see Marius who did look ready for some Lestat-bonking-over-the-head-with-wood) and gets help from David. He and David set out to regain his powerful body. Eventually they get it back but David ends up in the body that Lestat was in and Raglan ended up in David’s body. Raglan dies and Lestat turns David into a vampire against his will. Lestat goes to look for Gretchen who is no less than terrified when she sees him. She begins to bear the wounds of the Stigmata. The book ends with Lestat, Louis and David going to the Carnival in Rio.
Best Part: LESTAT IS BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCK!! Okay so it was inevitable. Actually the best part was Claudia’s visitations to Lestat.
Worst Part: David and Gretchen. Quite frankly, I will take David over Gretchen any day. I can actually stand David more than I can stand Gretchen. But quite frankly I still don’t like David.
Rating: 9!! It was a really excellent novel.
Title: Memnoch the Devil
Also known as: Memnoch the Doorstop, Memnoch the Paperweight
Author: Lestat de Lioncourt, told to and published by David Talbot
Main Characters: Lestat, Memnoch, Dora
Other Characters: David, Louis, Armand, Roger, and Maharet
Settings: New York, Heaven (according to Memnoch), Hell (also according to Memnoch), many unnamed cities from the Biblical past.
Published: 1995
Summary: While Lestat is hunting his latest victim the drug king Roger, he discovers that he is being stalked (again.) He calls to David who comes to New York to help him. He confesses that he thinks the Devil is stalking him. Lestat finally kills Roger and something that happens in the death disturbs him. Roger’s ghost comes back and he and Lestat have a nice chat. Lestat now has to take care of Roger’s only child, a TV evangelist named Dora. She thinks that Lestat is an angel sent by God just for her. (Yeah right…keep feeling nice, Dora…he was NOT meant for you :P) The Devil finally reveals himself to Lestat and he asks him to serve him. He promises that he will show him Heaven and Hell. Lestat, being as curious as he is, decides to go with Memnoch against the wishes of David and Armand. Memnoch tells Lestat the story of Creation and then he shows him Heaven and Hell. He goes back in time and sees Jesus Christ. He drinks the Blood of Christ and he gets Veronica’s Veil. His eye is stolen from him in Hell and he returns to the normal world, having blasphemed BOTH God and the Devil. Lestat is an absolute wreck. Lestat tells his tale to Armand and David. He gives the Veil to Dora, who immediately runs off with it to show it to the rest of the world as a sign. (I must note that Dora, who so claims that she believes in the Lord and Heaven and all that, does not even drop to her knees, make the Sign of the Cross or offer any word of Thanks to the Lord for sending her this blessing.) Armand believes so much, that he commits suicide by going into the sun. Mael also commits suicide. At the end, Lestat is chained by Maharet to keep him from losing his sanity. His eye is returned to him eventually.
Best Part: Um, well… Louis says a couple lines at the end. Um….there is a visit from Armand. OKAY. FINE. *racks brain* Okay…the take on the story of Creation was good, I suppose. Heaven and Hell were fine too. Well…and Lestat’s meeting with Memnoch was I suppose, funny.
Worst Part: I CAN’T STAND DORA. Also I really did not need to hear Roger babbling on and on and on for about SIXTY pages. And then Memnoch arrives with the entire story of Creation(yes I just contradicted myself. The part was well written but I didn’t like it) and his part and blah blah blah. Have I mentioned that Dora annoys me immensely? I really have a hard time believing that she believes in Jesus Christ and Heaven. But hey, maybe she does.
Rating: 6. The book was well written. The plot was clearly thought out and the story of Creation and the Heaven and Hell part did take a lot of skill to write. I’m sure lots of fans love the book. However, I am not one of them. I might be, sometime in the future but definitely not now.
Title: The Vampire Armand
Author: Armand, told to and published by David Talbot
Main Characters: Armand, Marius, Bianca
Other Characters: David, Santino, Louis, Gabrielle, Benji, Sybelle, Lestat, Pandora, Riccardo
Settings: Kiev, Russia; Venice, New York,
Published: 1998
Summary: David Talbot asks the eternally young, beautiful and mysterious vampire Armand to tell his story. Armand agrees and the tale starts in the time of the Renaissance with him as a young mortal boy kidnapped by the Tatar Raiders and brought to Constantinople ruled by the Turks. He is sent to a brothel but is saved by Marius. He cannot remember anything of what happened to him before he arrived in Constantinople save for small recollections. Marius takes him to his house where Armand becomes one of the many apprentices living there. There are many other boys there and they make him feel welcome. He becomes Marius’s favourite. He wishes to be what Marius is and would seek another kind of relationship with him. He is given the name Amadeo by Marius. Armand meets the beautiful courtesan and loves her. He is mortally wounded by his male lover. Marius makes him a vampire in order for him to live. When Armand was being made into a vampire, he travelled back in memory and recalled his past in Kiev. Shortly after he and Marius journey to Russia where Armand visits his childhood home. He also visits his father who has turned into a drunkard. Marius and Armand live in the palazzo together as vampire for a short time. The Roman Coven of the Children of Darkness attack Marius’s palazzo and they ‘kill’ Marius. They take Armand and some of the other apprentices captive. They kill the other apprentices but the leader, Santino saves Armand from the fire. He and another vampire, Allesandra, persuades Armand to join the Children of Darkness. Armand is reluctant and rebellious at first but he is made a Child of Darkness and Santino sends him to Paris to lead the coven there. Allesandra accompanies him. He meets Lestat and becomes the leader of the Theatre des Vampires. He meets Louis and Claudia and arranges her murder.
Present Day New York: He meets up again with Lestat who claims that he thinks he is being stalked by the Devil. He and David try to persuade him not to go but as usual, Lestat does not listen. He returns with the Veil of Veronica. Armand goes into the sun. However he is not killed only severely burnt. He saves the mortal woman Sybelle. He then lives with and takes care of Sybelle and her little mortal companion, Benji. Finally he goes to visit Lestat in the church and drinks from him. He discovers Marius has turned Benji and Sybelle into vampires. Lestat awakens when he hears Sybelle playing the Appassionata on the piano.
Best Part: The time when Armand is with Marius. When Armand’s past in Kiev is finally revealed. Also when he is with Bianca. Plus: WE GET A VISIT FROM LOUIS!! Finally, have you any idea how long I’ve waited for Louis to be something more than window dressing?!
Worst Part: Benji and Sybelle being turned into vampires. Hell, Benji and Sybelle even being there. Also I HATED the ending. I just hated it. If Lestat finally does reappear, I expected it to be something more grand than just showing up because he heard Sybelle’s Appassionata (which even though I cannot hear by reading has begun to grate on my nerves.) Plus, I was hoping there would be some nice input from Daniel somewhere in here. But alas…
Rating: 9. I loved this book!! I could not wait to start reading it when I finally held the copy in my hands. It was absolutely stunning. Finally, the story of the mysterious Armand is revealed.
Title: Merrick
Also known as: This Merrick book and That Merrick Book
Author: David Talbot
Main Characters: David, Louis, Merrick
Other Characters: Claudia’s Ghost, Honey in the Sunshine, Lestat, Aaron Lightner, Matthew, Great Nananne
Settings: New Orleans, South America
Published: 2000
Summary: Anne Rice has finally done what she’s always dreamed of doing: crossing the Mayfair Witches and The Vampire Chronicles. Does it matter that some of us have never touched the Mayfair Witches and only read the Vampire Chronicles or vice versa? But anyway, let’s not go there. This book is about David Talbot going to his old friend, Merrick Mayfair to ask her to summon Claudia’s ghost for Louis. Merrick is a young, powerful Mayfair witch who also worked in the Talamasca. Well let’s see…hmm…David has begun to grow on me but rather slowly. The book goes back quite a bit in David and Merrick’s past. We see how David met Merrick when she was only a child, young and still very powerful and when he was still mortal and Superior General of the Talamasca. He takes care of her and puts her through school. Merrick’s past is very interesting and eventually when she is a grown woman and working in the Talamasca, she persuades David to go into the jungle with her. Back to the present day: unbeknownst to David and Louis, Merrick casts a spell on poor Louis. He becomes extremely taken with her. Also all through the book, Louis has been hinting at committing suicide. Merrick calls on Claudia’s ghost, both David and Louis present. Claudia’s ghost has got to be the most interesting thing in this book. David leaves Louis and Merrick together. The next night, Merrick has been turned into a vampire by Louis and he has gone into the sun. However, he has not been destroyed. Lestat awakens and with his, Merrick and David’s blood, they revive Louis. Lestat gives Merrick and Louis his powerful blood. The Talamasca find out that Merrick has been turned into a vampire and issues a warning against them. Lestat, Louis, David and Merrick leave New Orleans in the threat of an impending war with the Talamasca.
Best Part: Hmm…let’s see….Claudia’s ghost. Ah…Claudia, my dear, how I miss you now. I realize that you weren’t that aggravating compared with Merrick, David, Benji and Sybelle. Ooh and another good part: Honey in the Sunshine. I like her. She could take possession of Merrick’s body. Why, oh why didn’t she take possession of Merrick’s body and go jump off a cliff in it? One can only dream…
Worst Part: The majority of this book. First off, I thought Louis was all fine and dandy now about this Claudia thing. I still can’t believe that after all this time, he’s still inconsolable?! Also, David ranting on and on for a dozen pages about Merrick’s breasts. I thought David was gay, at least when he was human. As for Merrick, I absolutely hate her. She is evil and manipulative. She has made me hate anything associated with the name Mayfair, even though I’m sure that the Mayfair witches of the Mayfair series are quite respectable and powerful and very cool. I sneer now when I hear the name ‘Merrick’. She should never have been made into a vampire. As for Louis, he is completely out of character. While I was reading this book, I completely forgot that it was Louis! As for his attempting suicide, that was just wrong. And as for him making Merrick into a vampire, I was just appalled. No matter what, Louis could almost never refuse Lestat no matter what form he was in or what he looked or sounded like. (But even when Lestat begged Louis to give him the Dark Gift in TOTBT, he refused it. But Merrick could entrance him into a spell and make him turn her into a vampire without so much as a thought? As far as I’m concerned, no matter what Lestat does or what body he is in, his presence is so powerful he can make someone do anything. But as for Louis refusing LESTAT?! That was quite horrifying.
Rating: 4. I hated this book. I hated it, I hated it, I hated it. I HATED IT. I can’t believe I bought this book, POSITIVELY BRAND NEW! Anne Rice, I adore your work but I just did not like this book.
